Funeral services for Betty Dill, 91, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at the First Baptist Church Chapel with Gary Burd officiating. Burial will follow in Childress Cemetery under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m.Friday,Sept.30,2022, at Johnson Funeral Home.
On Sept. 30, 1930, in their home on the family farm – James Allen Jones and his wife, Eva Victoria, gave birth to a baby girl in Childress, Texas. Her name was Betty Lou, and she would go on to be loved and cherished by all who knew her.There’s a saying that says, “To know her is to love her,” and that could not be more true than to know Betty Lou.
In her teenage years, Betty grew into her tall, lanky frame accompanied by her dark, perfectly done curls that rested right above her shoulders. It didn’t matter if she was tending to horses and cows or exploring the grounds of Childress, she was always dressed to impress. Even when her dark curls turned silver, her style never wavered. Big earrings and outgoing necklaces became part of her persona and assisted her ability to put a smile on anyone’s face.
She caught the eye of Gene Dill, and after their courtship, they wed Dec. 20, 1950. Within a year, they welcomed their first of three children. If you were to enter Betty’s kitchen, you’d be greeted by the savory scent of her chicken spaghetti and fried okra.If you had a sweet tooth, there was monkey bread, red plum cake, milky way or peaches and cream ice cream and banana pudding, all of which are still favorites of her family today.
She would eventually be adorned with a new role and moniker. The name cherished by many to come would be Mama Lou, and she became the best friend to her eight granddaughters. She could turn rain into rainbows and could take the weight of the world off any of their shoulders. In fact, Mama Lou had so much love to give that the only way her granddaughters could match that was to become mothers themselves, giving her 22 great-grandchildren. No matter how much you loved Mama Lou – trust us it’s a lot – she always loved you more.
On Sept. 12, 2022, this world lost its ability to contain her loving soul, and she was greeted at the Heavenly gates by her loving parents, daughter Sheila Nelson, sister Allene Goodson and countless other family and friends that went before her. Left behind to share her memories, stories and recipes are the following: daughter Vicki Jones,of Amarillo, Texas; son Barry Dill and wife Patrica,of Granbury,Texas; niece Carolyn Goodson, of Dallas, Texas; nephew Monty Goodson and husband Frank, of Santa Fe, N.M.; granddaughters Alicia Kassenbrock and husband Brad, of Longmont, Colo., Dr. Shelby Nelson, of Ft Worth, Texas, Samantha Burd and husband Robbie, of Amarillo, Lindsay Redwine and husband Ras, of Austin, Texas, Dana Poole and husband Freddie, of Frisco, Texas, Whitney Cantu and husband Joshua, of Galveston, Texas, Kiley Kruzie and husband Matt, of Wimberley, Texas, Shandy Smith, of Denton, Texas, and 22 great-grandchildren.
BETTY LOU DILL
